Scent is memory wearing invisible clothes

Back in the day, a man’s scent required little explanation. Soap. Aftershave. Maybe a hint of smog or cigarette smoke.

The attempt to mask the natural masculine smell (translation: sweaty and funky) never grows old but simply changes brands: Brut, Old Spice and Jovan Musk in the ‘70s gave way to Drakkar Noir, Avon Black Suede and Stetson in the ‘80s; Acqua di Giò and CK One in the ’90s yielded to Sean John Unforgivable and Paco Rabanne 1 Million in the 2000s. From there, we’ve jumped to Dior’s Sauvage, Versace Eros and— together with the rise of the Korean Wave—brands like Cotton Hug and Cotton Memory by Forment, Chamo by Tamburins, and Dirty Rice by indie favorite BORNTOSTANDOUT.

Young men today leave elevators or pass you on the running path trailing aromatic notes of oud, tobacco vanilla, sea salt, bergamot, leather, amberwood, and what perfume experts mysteriously describe as “wet stone after rain.” I’m shaking my head imagining the appeal of petrichor, which some people seem to like as much as the smell of sun-dried clothes.

Which brings us to the rise of OverSprayJay—one of the most recognizable figures in the booming online fragrance subculture known as “FragranceTok” or the “FragCom” (Fragrance Community). On TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, millions of mostly young men obsess over perfumes with the seriousness once reserved for NBA statistics or fantasy football leagues.

OverSprayJay’s signature stunt of dousing himself with absurd quantities of cologne—like the 100 sprays he promised after receiving a 1,000-ml bottle of Azure Fantasy, and even inside a plane—has made him internet-famous. He belongs to the loud breed of fragrance influencers where “beast mode projection” and “compliment factor” are as normal as the megabucks they earn from their unsolicited endorsements.

@fragrance.tawk Nothin less than 100‼️ #OverSprayJay #Fragrance #Fragrances #FragranceTok #SmellRichStayRich ♬ original sound - OverSprayJAY™️

Apparently, men no longer merely wear scents. They “layer.” They “project.” They “leave a presence” long after they have left the room.

And while Jay dominates the overspraying niche, he shares the digital fragrance throne with several other personalities.

At the top sits Jeremy Fragrance (born Daniel Sredziński), who, like many others, became famous through YouTube “selling lifestyles.” Famous for his suits, iconic spins, chaotic energy, street interviews, and caffeinated enthusiasm, Jeremy helped turn men’s fragrance reviews into internet entertainment. Watching him review perfume is like witnessing a motivational speaker trapped in the cosmetics section of a department store.

@calcologne My Top 15 Fragrances Out of 600 #fragrance #fragrancetok #colognetok #colognetiktok ♬ Never End - Gakuen

Then there are younger, TikTok-native creators such as CalCologne and TheCologneBoy, who specialize in fast-paced “Top 10” rankings, affordable dupes (not exactly knockoffs, so they say), school-friendly scents, and highly algorithmic content tailored for short Gen Z attention spans.

On the more sophisticated side are creators like Paul Fino, whose videos resemble luxury advertisements complete with excellent lighting and immaculate cheekbones. Gents Scents remains beloved for practical, down-to-earth advice on whether a fragrance is actually worth blind-buying. Curly Scents mixes fragrance with lifestyle and grooming advice, while School of Scent appeals to the more cerebral crowd by explaining perfume chemistry, note structures, and the eternal debate between eau de parfum and eau de toilette.

Until I did my research, I had no idea that this has been going on for some time, that there’s a full ecosystem dealing specifically with men’s fragrances, and that it has a wide fanbase with influencers enjoying celebrity status.

This craze has crept into Filipino society as well. From time to time, you will encounter teenage boys aggressively testing fragrances at department stores with the panache of seasoned perfumistas. At a mall in BGC, I once stood beside a group of boys, still in their school uniforms, regaling a couple of female classmates with their extensive knowledge of fragrances. After watching content creators casually discussing “panty-dropper fragrances,” I understood why those guys at the mall were behaving that way.

In the Philippines, fragrance culture has become especially attractive because it combines vanity, aspiration and affordability. A luxury watch costs a fortune; a luxury scent lets you cosplay wealth for much less. It is a perfect illustration of that line from the Hamilton song The Schuyler Sisters, where Burr observes, “Your perfume smells like your daddy’s got money.”

And moderation matters. A proper fragrance should be discovered, not endured. Some men overdo it (perhaps emulating OverSprayJay) to the point that one cannot determine whether they are masking body odor or attempting to turn away the girls, and probably everyone else within sniffing distance.

Popular culture, of course, has long understood the strange power of scent.

The Korean drama A Girl Who Sees Smells transformed fragrance into near-supernatural detective work, proving once again that Koreans can aestheticize absolutely anything. Then there is the dark classic Perfume: The Story of a Murderer, where obsession with scent descends into murder, madness, and one of the most unsettling finales in modern cinema.

So, why the obsession with fragrances? For one, scent offers identity, confidence, fantasy, and a small luxury in uncertain times. Advertisers will try to persuade you that the right fragrance can evoke power, mystery, romance, and sophistication. It could also stir nostalgia—one whiff of a familiar cologne could transport you back to the moment you met your soulmate in college—or to a steamy rendezvous years later.

In other words, scent is memory wearing invisible clothes, which may explain this intensified male obsession with fragrances. Men today are more image-conscious, and they no longer equate grooming with vanity.

As for me, I know I always smell good to my wife. After all, she’s the one who chooses my scents.